On Friday, December 29, 2017, at approximately 12:57 a.m., a 34-year-old bulldozer operator with 10 years of mining experience was fatally injured. While pushing overburden toward the edge of a highwall, the bulldozer he was operating travelled over the edge, down an embankment, and came to rest approximately 400 feet from where it went over the highwall.
- Ensure the bulldozer blade is kept between you and the edge when operating close to drop offs. Dump loads short of the highwall edge and push one load into another to maintain a safe distance from the edge.
- Inspect the area before beginning work and remain familiar with the environment throughout the shift. Plan the safest way to move material and maneuver equipment.
- Reduce the throttle position when working near the edge of a highwall.
- Properly illuminate work areas and dump sites.
- Perform complete and thorough examinations of ground conditions.
- Always wear a seatbelt when operating mobile equipment. Monitor work activities routinely to ensure seatbelts are worn and safe work procedures are followed.
- Ensure miners are trained, including task-training, to understand, recognize and avoid hazards associated with the work being performed.
- Conduct pre-operational examinations to identify any safety defects. Correct safety defects prior to placing equipment into service.
Click here for: MSHA Preliminary Report (pdf)
On Monday, October 23, 2017, a 48-year-old mine examiner with 19 years of mining experience, received fatal injuries after he fell on the No. 1 conveyor belt near the transfer point with the No. 2 conveyor belt and was transported by the belt conveyor system to the raw coal pile. It appears he was attempting to cross the No. 1 conveyor belt at the time of the accident.
On Thursday, September 28, 2017, a 39-year-old miner with ten years of mining experience received fatal injuries when coal from the longwall face rolled out and completely covered him. The victim was assisting with roof bolting by untangling the mesh during the longwall recovery process. At the time of the accident, the victim was located between the coal face and the pan line.
On Friday, August 25, 2017, a 51-year-old mine examiner with 27 years of mining experience was killed when, near the transfer point with the No. 2 conveyor belt, he apparently lost his footing attempting to cross over the moving No. 1 conveyor belt. He fell onto the No. 1 belt and hit a belt crossover located approximately 10 feet outby. The victim was found beside the conveyor belt just outside the mine entrance.
On August 3, 2017, a 32-year-old miner with 6 years of mining experience was fatally crushed while he was cutting one end of a metal beam. He was dismantling a metal structure at a preparation plant when the beam fell on him.
On July 25, 2017, a 28-year-old bulldozer operator with 1 year and 9 months of mining experience was fatally injured at a surface facility. The victim was operating a bulldozer, pushing material off of a refuse bank before the accident occurred. He was found lying in the bulldozer’s push path at the top of an incline near the edge of the refuse bank. The bulldozer had run over the victim and continued over the edge of the incline, coming to rest at the bottom of the embankment.
On June 19, 2017, a 32-year-old preshift examiner was fatally injured when he was thrown or jumped from a moving locomotive. Two locomotives (front and rear) were being used to transport three supply cars into the mine. The examiner was riding in the passenger seat of the front locomotive when the operators lost control on a grade and the front locomotive and the first two supply cars derailed.
On Tuesday, June 13, 2017, a 32-year-old continuous mining machine operator was fatally injured when he was pinned between the cutter head of a remote controlled continuous mining machine and the coal rib. The victim was backing the continuous mining machine from the working face when the accident occurred.
On Thursday, May 18, 2017, an outby utility miner received fatal injuries when his head hit the mine roof and/or roof support. He and another miner were travelling in a trolley-powered supply locomotive when the accident occurred. While the locomotive was still in motion, the trolley pole came off the trolley wire. The victim grabbed the pole to place it back on the trolley wire. In this slightly elevated position, the victim hit his head on the mine roof and was fatally injured.
On Saturday, May 6, 2017, a 62-year-old miner with 14 years of mining experience was fatally injured when the haul truck he was operating went over the highwall and fell approximately 150 feet. The victim was dumping overburden over the highwall when the accident occurred.